As the Fantasy Football season progresses, the Bye Weeks will slowly start claiming your fantasy superstars one by one, forcing you to strategically game on making the correct inevitable waiver pickup. If you have a starter(s) from Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, or New Orleans, here are some possible stopgaps for the upcoming fantasy week that should be available in most leagues.
QB: For those of you who lose a Drew Brees or a Jay Cutler this week, don’t panic by getting desperate for a new Quarterback that will realistically play only one week. In most standard 10 team leagues, your options may be slim depending on the attentiveness of your fellow owners. That being said, if a guy like Minnesota’s Christian Ponder is available, pick him up. Ponder has led the Vikings to a surprising hot start, which should only get better with receiver Jerome Simpson coming off suspension and Adrian Peterson helping the Play-Action pass. Some sleeper picks at this position would be guys like Kevin Kolb, Brandon Weeden and Matt Hasselbeck. Although none of these players have a favorable matchup this week, they could also replace potential struggling starters like Michael Vick and Matt Cassel.
RB: This may pertain to the owners of Matt Forte, who are looking for a starter this week. If by some stroke of luck, every owner has been oblivious to the return of Rashard Mendenhall, he is a no-brainer who looked good in his first action back this Sunday against the Eagles. Other big names that are on the wire include: Brandon Bolden, Jackie Battle, and Kendall Hunter. Of the three, look for Bolden to make the biggest impact, closely followed by Hunter.
WR: Brandon Marshall, Marques Colston, and Steve Smith/Brandon LaFell owners struggling to find a replacement hands guy should look no further than names like Malcom Floyd, Randall Cobb, and Domenik Hixon, and Leonard Hankerson. In the case of Cobb and Hixon, expect continued production and point opportunities with the oft-injured Greg Jennings and Hakeem Nicks riding the pine on a consistent basis. Floyd is slowly becoming River’s new favorite target on deep routes, and Hankerson and RGIII have a great understanding of one another on the field. If you strike out with any of these picks, a guy like Andre Roberts may have been released.
TE: Jimmy Graham is out, and yes, this is a big problem. Usually the Tight End position cannot be relied upon for big points, except for Gronk and Graham. With Graham out, this move may be trickier than it would be for other owners. If there are not options like Scott Chandler or Joel Dreesen, you might be better off eating the points this week and not risking losing a better player for what would be an obvious spot starter at the TE slot.
Finals Word: As you approach Week 6, now is not the time to get cute with your lineup. You should know who is a reliable starter at this point in the game. Don’t over think it and go with your gut, and as always, good luck!
